Car accidents are one of the biggest causes of death and injury, as not everyone drives as sensibly as they should. Every driver on the road should be careful on their journey for their own safety as well as that of other road users. Traffic laws are in place for a good reason – they tell us how to use the roads so that accidents are reduced. Unfortunately, many people fail to do this. Not every vehicle on the road is the same – there are different sizes and not everyone using the road is in a vehicle – some are pedestrians or cyclists. This makes a huge difference in collisions. Evidently, an accident involving a truck will have a greater impact than one involving two smaller vehicles.
For this reason, truck drivers need to be increasingly more responsible than any other driver. You cannot stop other people from being hazards, but you can try and predict their behavior and prevent any potential risks that may result in an accident. This article will discuss why it is important to be extra careful while driving a truck.
You Have Larger Blind Spots
Every vehicle has blind spots – these are essential spots around the car where you have diminished visibility. Seeing what is around you is crucial so that you can act accordingly. For example, you may see a pedestrian walking around your truck, or a vehicle trying to overtake you. You can act appropriately to avoid an accident in these cases. However, due to their size, trucks have larger blind spots, meaning that the driver can lose total visibility around the vehicle. Unfortunately, other drivers are not always aware of this, and even when they do, they ignore it, so it is up to you to prevent an accident by exercising extra caution.
Other Vehicles May Want to Overtake You
Trucks drivers usually drive much slower than the usual smaller vehicle. Evidently, this is because they are massive and heavy, but are also limited to the speed they are allowed to travel at by traffic laws and policies. This can lead to other drivers becoming frustrated and wanting to overtake you on the road. Make sure that you allow them to do this to prevent a road collision. Drivers do not always realize that they will need additional time to speed past the truck and if there is incoming traffic this decision can be deadly.
Damage in Accidents Will be Worse
As you can imagine, any accidents that involve a large vehicle will be significantly worse. The damage and injuries to those involved can be greater to other people more than the truck driver and you may be deemed responsible. For this reason, if you ever find yourself involved in an accident, you should contact a professional. If you live in Missouri, hiring a truck accident attorney in St. Louis may be ideal as they will know the laws in the local area to support you. You should not take the blame if other drivers did not respect the road laws around your truck.
You Have Reduced Response Time
Trucks are massive and weigh a ton. This is increased by whatever product they are transporting, which makes them so much heavier. Due to this, your response time is incredibly reduced, compared to a smaller car. The response time is what allows drivers to act quickly to prevent accidents. For example, if you notice someone changing lanes all of a sudden and you know they are going to hit you, you will immediately break. Because trucks are so heavy, they may not stop in time to stop a collision, which shows how important it is for truck drivers to be extra careful and even more aware of their surroundings whilst driving.
There Are Operating Rules in Place
What not many people know, or think about, is that every truck driver will have strict operating rules in place. Usually, when there is a truck on the road, it belongs to a company and the vehicle is transporting a product. The company will have its own operating rules, and you will also be obliged to comply with the traffic rules for trucks to ensure the safety of everyone on the road.
You May Be Driving For Long Periods of Time
As mentioned above, if you are driving as part of your job, you may be driving on the road for long periods of time. Fatigue can increase the propensity to be involved in accidents. If this is the case for you, make sure that you take the time to rest appropriately and take as many breaks as needed to restore your energy levels.
You should be careful when using the roads, no matter whether you are driving a truck or a smaller vehicle or simply using them as a pedestrian. However, safety measures and accident prevention are significantly more important if you are driving a truck for the reasons discussed above.